Jason Barbose

Western states policy manager

Jason advocates for UCS’s policy priorities in California and other western states. He meets with government officials, builds partnerships with allies, and helps manage legislative and regulatory campaigns to advance UCS priorities on climate change, energy, and transportation issues. See Jason's full bio.

Jason's Latest Posts

While the majority of Washingtonians are worried about climate change and support taking steps to reduce heat-trapping emissions, it’s no secret that the state has struggled to adopt many big-ticket policies on this issue. (Voters rejected initiatives in 2016 and 2018 to place fees on the state’s biggest emitters of global warming emissions; the Legislature has failed to pass previous proposals from Gov. Inslee to put a price on emissions, and a court also struck down an Inslee administration regulation tackling emissions.) However, I’m not one to linger on past failure, and fortunately this year has brought new opportunities that give me hope Washington lawmakers will seize the moment and take much-needed steps to curtail the state’s global warming emissions.

It’s Fall. That means crisp morning air, dwindling sunlight, and a chance to take stock of legislative victories and setbacks in California, as Governor Brown has now signed or vetoed the last of the bills sent to his desk this year.

As always, the progress we make in Sacramento is not only improving Californians’ quality of life, but also keeping momentum going for other states and countries. Many of the gains we make in clean technologies, for example, are reducing costs and proving solutions at scale, charting a course from which others can learn.

California has a well-earned reputation as a world leader in promoting clean energy and other solutions to climate change. However, as anyone paying attention to the climate crisis knows, we have far more work to do. Fortunately, the California Legislature is considering many bills in 2018 that would further address climate change. With three and half months until the Legislature adjourns for the year, UCS is working with lawmakers to make progress on a suite of policy prescriptions to promote renewable energy, clean transportation, and better preparedness for climate change impacts. Read more >

Policymakers are considering how California should cut global warming emissions by 40% between 2020 and 2030, and whether to extend the state’s cap-and-trade program beyond 2020. The oil industry supports the cap-and-trade program but wants to roll back California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. They argue the two policies just don’t mix—like oil and water, you might say. However, I see the two policies more like peanut butter and jelly—they are good on their own but so much better together.
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